Applying a strap or binder to an item, such as a stack or bundle of sheets, is accomplished in industry by means of strapping mechanisms which apply the strap to the item. Commonly the item is moved to the strapping mechanism which is then activated and the strap is applied to bind the item. The strap mechanism is of course subject to mechanical failure and jamming and of course they run out of strap material. At those times, the entire production line must be shut down or detained while the strapping apparatus is attended to. That commonly encounters expensive and time-consuming down time, particularly where the strapping mechanism is employed for strapping bundles of sheets coming from the high-speed printing press.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for avoiding any delays or down time in the employment of strapping processes and apparatus. The particular objective of this invention is accomplished by providing a back-up or additional type of strapping mechanism on a mounting which can be readily actuated to position either one of two strapping mechanisms into the operative position. Further, when one strapping mechanism is operating, the other strapping mechanism is available for servicing, including loading additional strap into the then idle strapping mechanism. In that manner, the high-speed production line is not at all interrupted, since either one of two strapping mechanisms is available at all times.